1st - 3rd May 2018

Thursday, 3rd May: A complete contrast to yesterday, with a bright and sunny morning and a light westerly breeze, cold early on but very warm by lunchtime....and some interesting birds to brighten the day!

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - The Stone-curlew was relocated late afternoon today in the same location as previously.....please don't park in the private section of road, park away on the public stretch and walk to the site (only a few minutes). (per BO'D/IL)

The Stone-curlew was still present until at least 7pm, and there was also a Barn Owl about. (AH/PB)

This morning there were two  Wheatears and at least eight Common Whitethroats holding territory, plus a singing Lesser Whitethroat. (BFF/DM)

This image was obtained on 1st May but has only recently become available (AB)....but the bird was re-located today at the same site. 

 

More images of the Stone-curlew this evening at Porthole Farm (AH)

Selsey Bill: There was nothing moving on the sea, but a big compensation came in the form of a very obliging young male/possible female Serin (found by Mich Eames), that hung around the Bill House garden till mid afternoon at least. Full log below...... 
0530-1130hrs: (C&ME/PB/OM/MJ/PC/AH et al) 
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Gannet - 18E, 29W
Shelduck - 4E
Common Scoter - 5E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Sanderling - 3W
Sparrowhawk - 1E along beach
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Little Tern - 12os
Common Tern - 28os
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 16os
Swallow - 16N
Whitethroat - 1 gardens
Blackcap - 1 gardens
Serin - 1 in Bill House garden (see above)

Serin (top two - AB, lower AH) & House Martin (AH) at the Bill

 More views of the Serin (DM)

Some excitement in Bill House garden....! (OM)

(1640-1800hrs) (JA/SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1W

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 21E, 9W

Shag - 4os

Kittiwake - 6W

Little Tern - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 10E, 11os

Common Tern - 6os

auk sp - 7E, 1W

The Serin showed well again in the Bill House garden at around 6.30pm. (SH/IP)

Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre: A delightful Wood Warbler was singing from the bushes from around 8.00 to 9.00am before it upped and flew off north. (BO'D et al)

Wood Warbler at Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre (AB)

And a bit of excitement around the Visitor Centre car-park too! (OM)

Ferry Pool area: A Little Ringed Plover and a Bar-tailed Godwit were on the pool this morning along with nine Avocets, two Common Sandpipers, c60 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Dunlin, a Lapwing, eight Gadwall and the pair of Shoveler, whilst the first Kingfisher reported for a long time dropped in on a post at the back.

A Cuckoo was audible from the Tramway, calling distantly, but there was nothing much otherwise beyond the regular Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs and there were just half a dozen Whimbrel out on the mud. (AH/AB)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Little Ringed Plover & Common Sandpiper and Lapwing on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Early this morning there was a Greenshank in the harbour and two Wheatears along the spit, with a Lesser Whitethroat and another Wheatear along the Severals, which was alive with singing Reed, Sedge and Cettis Warblers. (AW)

It was quiet later on, though there were 25 Little Terns, 20+ Sandwich Terns in the harbour along with six Whimbrels and the pair of Peregrines. (AH/BFF/DM)

Greenshank (above), Lesser Whitethroat & Reed Warbler at Church Norton (AW)

This afternoon there was a Hobby hunting over the Severals before heading off west and a very grey-looking Willow Warbler. (AW)

Hobby (above) & Willow Warbler at Church Norton (AW)

Chi Gravel Pits: There were c50 Swifts and 18 Common Terns over Westhampnett Pit this evening. (GH)

Northcommon Farm/Warner Lane paddocks: All surprisingly quiet given the excitements elsewhere, with just a couple of Whitethroats, a Blackcap, a couple of Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff and half a dozen Linnets, plus the pairs of Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker. An interesting aside was a tree bearing the carved initials 'AH'........ could it be our esteemed co-editor I wonder..... (OM)

Has our co-editor AH been spending too much time at Northcommon Farm we wonder!!  (OM)

Wednesday, 2nd May: Another truly dire morning, with a very cold southerly gale blowing, bringing with it more persistent heavy rain.....

Selsey Bill: There were one or two bits early this morning, before the rain set in, including a Hobby, a Yellow Wagtail and a Swift in. Full log below. (GH/AH/SH)
(0520-0845hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Manx Shearwater - 10W
Fulmar - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 42E, 227W
Common Scoter - 20E
Hobby - 1N (0550hrs)
Arctic Skua - 2E (d/p)
Bonxie - 2E
Kittiwake - 4E
Sandwich Tern - 20os then E
Common Tern - 70os then E
auk sp - 2E, 9W
Swift - 1N
Yellow Wagtail - 1N

(1345-1830hrs) (PB/C&ME/SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Fulmar - 2W
Manx Shearwater - 11E, 1W
Shag - 1os
Gannet - 151E, 39W
Common Scoter - 3E, 1W
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Little Tern - 14os
Common Tern - 5E, 24os
Commic Tern - 5E
Black Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 12os
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p) 

Fulmar (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Northcommon Farm: A Hen Harrier went over north at lunchtme today. (SH)

North Wall: An Osprey flew over into the harbour this afternoon and was seen to catch a large fish, before flying off west with it. Also a Whinchat was being chased by a Kestrel. (AB)

Ferry Pool: There were two Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, six Redshank, eight Gadwall, a pair each of Shoveler and Teal and five Shelducks on the pool this morning, plus a Sand Martin over, with a Common Sandpiper and c30 Black-tailed Godwits in the channel opposite and c60 Swallows feeding low down along the rife. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Avocet,  Black-tailed Godwit & Swallows around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A fairly quick look produced a Black Tern very briefly by Tern Island before it wheeled away and disappeared east, and there were also four Whimbrel, a pair of Gadwall, six Little Terns, c20 Sandwich Terns and c50 Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour, but no migrants in the bushes. (AH)
A quick look this afternoon found a Whinchat on the spit along with four Wheatears, with another two of the latter opposite the 2nd Severals. There were 20 Whimbrels on the beach and a Kestrel was perched on the clock tower at Greenlease Farm, whilst the pair of Gadwall were in the harbour with the lone Brent Goose, and a Garden Warbler was in the bushes. (AW)

Little Tern (above), Sandwich Tern, Whimbrel & Gadwall at Church Norton (AH)

 Whinchat (top) with Wheatear, Garden Warbler and Kestrel at Church Norton (AW)

Tuesday, 1st May: A very bright morning after a cold, clear night and a touch of frost, with the breeze freshening from the south-west as the day progressed.....

Itchenor: Bird of the day was an elusive Golden Oriole singing from the woods for 10 -15 minutes, some 500yds or so generally south of the quay/Harbour office. (PH) 
Unfortunately it did not perform thereafter - until mid-afternoon at least - to the disappointment of those who attended, though it is possible it gave a couple of very brief calls before a Blackbird drowned it out with song.

Also nearby were a calling Nuthatch that gave a better performance but still refused to show itself, a distantly-calling Cuckoo and 2 Whimbrel. (OM/BI)...................

We spoke too soon.............

Recording of the Golden Oriole singing at Itchenor by the finder PH is here

Medmerry: Porthole Farm -  At 1549hrs a Stone Curlew was seen to land in a stubble field west of Porthole Farm (KJ et al) It was still distantly viewable for about half an hour or more before being lost from view.
It was not re-found for over an hour, but did eventually show quite well to a steady stream of admirers in the same field, though often vanishing from sight for long periods.  There were also half a dozen Wheatears and several Yellowhammers  in the fields. (AH/BI/SH/IP/OM et al)

Stone Curlew at Medmerry (AH)

Selsey Bill: There was almost nothing moving offshore, though a growing flock of Little and Common, plus a few Sandwich, Terns were feeding offshore and one or two Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Whitethroats were along the gardens. Full log below. (OM/PB/AB/C&ME et al)

(0540-1100hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
diver sp - 1E
Gannet - 36E, 16W
Little Egret - 1W
Shelduck - 9W, 2os
Common Scoter - 21E, 1W
Whimbrel - 1E
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Bonxie - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 5E
Sandwich Tern - 21E, 12os
Little Tern - c36os
Common Tern - 5E, 40os
Swallow - 7N
Yellow Wagtail - 1N
Willow Warbler - 24p (inc. 18 in Bill House garden)

Chiffchaff - 2p (gardens)
Blackcap - 2 (gardens)
Whitethroat - 2 (gardens)

There was a good movement of Manx Shearwaters in the freshening southerly wind this evening.

(1700-1925hrs) (GH)
Manx Shearwater - 46E
Shag - 1os
Eider - 3E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1E
Arctic Skua - 8E, 1os
Bonxie - 2E
Kittiwake - 7E

Warner Lane paddocks: A male Redstart was at the far end of the paddocks this morning, though elusive. Also a Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Buzzard there.(OM)
Also, a Red Kite went over at lunchtime. (SH)

Ferry Pool area: On the pool itself there were c40 Black-tailed Godwits, ten Redshank, two Avocets, a Common Sandpiper, six Gadwall and the pairs of Teal and Shoveler, whilst a further two Common Sandpipers and 40 Black-tailed Godwits, along with five Whimbrel were in the channel opposite. 

A Cuckoo flew along the hedge by Yeoman's Field and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats  were around the Tramway, but oterwise there was just the usual scattering of Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, plus a few Orange-tip butterflies on the wing.(AH/PB)

Also, a Hobby went north-west over Sidlesham village, nearby, late this morning. (BI)

Whitethroat (above), Chiffchaff & Orange-tip around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Red Kite drifted over the harbour this morning. (PB)

There were a few migrants this morning, including two Garden Warblers, two Willow Warblers, three Lesser Whitethroats and a few Reed and Sedge Warblers ,Blackcaps Chiffchaffs and Common Whitethroats, plus the resident Linnets and a Reed Bunting, with a Sparrowhawk and two Buzzards over, plus a Peregrine on its island..

In the harbour on the rising tide there were 18 Little Terns roosting on the island with a couple of pairs getting friendly, 40 Bar-tailed Godwits, 12 Dunlin, at least 20 Whimbrel. four Gadwall and a single Brent Goose, whilst six Wheatears were on the beach. (AW/AB/BFF)

Sparrowhawk (AB) above), Lesser Whitethroats, Sedge Warbler & Whitethroat (AW) at Church Norton

Medmerry: Ham Viewpoint area - A group of 19 Wheatears appeared to drop in near the Viewpoint this morning, with others joining to make a very impressive final total of 37 birds. Also two Whinchats and a few Willow Warblers were nearby. (BO'D)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - By contrast, there was not a Wheatear or Whinchat to be seen along the western side of the reserve, though a male Stonechat was at the back of the Stilt Pool.

The banks were quiet beyond a couple of Whitethroats and Reed Warblers and the resident Skylarks, Yellowhammers, Linnets and Meadow Pipits, plus a few Stock Doves, whilst there were four Whimbrel on the reserve and eight Dunlin on the Stilt Pool, along with two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers, a pair of Ringed Plovers, c25 pairs of Avocets and half a dozen Gadwall. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Dunlin, Avocet, Stock Doves & Fox at Medmerry (AH)

North Wall: There was not a bird to be seen on White's Creek this morning and the Breech Pool was not much better - nesting Mute Swans, pair of Great Crested Grebes and a single Gadwall being about it., I suspect the latter might be nesting on the Pool. 

Along the Wall there were three  Wheatears, a Common Whitethroat,, a  Lesser Whitethroat and a few Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing but remaining well down in the reeds, whilst two  Buzzards were circling Macracapra Copse.  

A Cuckoo was along the Wall, another was calling towards Halsey's Farm and as I was leaving I could hear another in the direction of the Lagoon. Also, in Honer 3 field there were three Brown Hares, a Roe Deer and a Fox. (JDW)